Cucumber

OTHER NAME(S): Cucumber Extract, Cucumber Fruit, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Cucumber Fruit Water, Cucumber Juice, Cucumber Seed Extract, Cucumber Seed Oil, Pickling Cucumber, Slicing Cucumber, Tokhm-e-khiyar, Cucumis sativus, Pepino, Concombre

Overview

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a creeping vine that grows long fruit commonly eaten as a vegetable. The fruit, seed, and stem are used in medicine.

Cucumber seed contains fats that might help lower cholesterol. The fruit contains chemicals that might help to reduce swelling and speed up wound healing.

People use cucumber for burns, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, wound healing, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Don't confuse cucumber with Chinese cucumber. These are not the same.

References
  1. Fiume MM, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, et al. Safety assessment of Cucumis sativus (cucumber)-derived ingredients as used in cosmetics. Int J Toxicol. 2014;33(2 suppl):47S-64S.
  2. Asero R, Tripodi S, Dondi A, et al. Prevalence and clinical relevance of IgE sensitization to profilin in childhood: A multicenter study. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2015;168(1):25-31.
  3. Vlaicu PC, Rusu LC, Ledesma A, et al. Cucumber anaphylaxis in a latex-sensitized patient. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2011;21(3):236-9.
  4. Nash RJ, Azantsa BK, Sharp H, Shanmugham V. Effectiveness of Cucumis sativus extract versus glucosamine-chondroitin in the management of moderate osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Interv Aging. 2018;13:2119-2126.
  5. Soltani R, Hashemi M, Farazmand A, et al. Evaluation of the effects of Cucumis sativus seed extract on serum lipids in adult hyperlipidemic patients: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Food Sci. 2017;82(1):214-218.
  6. Ji L, Gao W, Wei J, Pu L, Yang J, Guo C. In vivo antioxidant properties of lotus root and cucumber: A pilot comparative study in aged subjects. J Nutr Health Aging. 2015;19(7):765-70.
  7. Marisol MM, Celeste TM, Laura MM, et al. Effect of Cucumis sativus on dysfunctional 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):13372.
  8. Nafeesa Z, Shivalingu BR, Neema KN, et al. Procoagulant serine glycoprotease from Cucumis sativus L.: action on human fibrinogen and fibrin clot. 3 Biotech. 2017;7(2):96.
  9. Minaiyan M, Zolfaghari B, Kamal A. Effect of hydroalcoholic and buthanolic extract of Cucumis sativus seeds on blood glucose level of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2011;14(5):436-42.
  10. Tang J, Meng X, Liu H, et al. Antimicrobial activity of sphingolipids isolated from the stems of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Molecules. 2010;15(12):9288-97.
  11. Zachariae CO. Cucumber contact dermatitis. Contact Dermatitis. 2000;43(4):240-1.
  12. Kothari S, Saravana M, Muthusamy S, Mozingo A, Soni M. Safety assessment of a standardized cucumber extract (Q-Actin): Oral repeat-dose toxicity and mutagenicity studies. Toxicol Rep. 2018;5:1078-1086.
  13. Burnett CL, Fiume MM, Bergfeld WF, et al. Safety assessment of plant-derived fatty acid oils. Int J Toxicol. 2017;36(3_suppl):51S-129S.
  14. Atta AH, Saad SA, Atta SA, et al. Cucumis sativus and Cucurbita maxima extract attenuate diabetes-induced hepatic and pancreatic injury in a rat model. J Physiol Pharmacol 2020;71(4).
  15. Nash RJ, Mafongang A, Singh H, et al. Standardised ido-BR1 Cucumber Extract Improved Parameters Linked to Moderate Osteoarthritis in a Placebo-controlled Study. Curr Rheumatol Rev 2023;19(3):345-351.